nationwide smoking ban answer tagalog essay

Sanaysay Tungkol sa Nationwide Smoking Ban

Hindi dahil sa amoy nito o sa dating ng taong gumagamit, ngunit dahil sa nakababahalang epekto nito sa ating kalusugan — gumagamit ka man nito o hindi.

Napapanahon na ang nationwide smoking ban sapagkat lalong tumataas ang bilang ng mga Pilipinong nasasawi dahil sa mga sakit na may kinalaman sa baga, at ang isa sa mga sanhi nito ay ang sigarilyo.

Ang itinuturong dahilan, ang paninigarilyo. Dahil hindi agad nakikita ang komplikasyon ng paninigarilyo tulad ng unti-unting pagkasira ng baga, ay hindi naaagapan ang gamutan sa mga tinatamaan ng komplikasyon.

Kaya naman kung nais nating mapababa ang problema sa mga sakit na may kinalaman sa baga, dapat nang ipatupad ang nationwide smoking ban bago mas maraming baga pa ang maupos na parang sigarilyo.

Mga Karagdagang Sanaysay

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Sapat at epektibo nga ba ang mga smoking ban?

( Original article in English  by Mikael Angelo Francisco; translation by Pearl Uy)  Iba’t ibang stratehiya na ang naisagawa upang tulungan ang mga naninigarilyong huminto sa kanilang bisyo — kabilang na rito ang pag-usbong ng e-cigarettes, na pinangangambahan ng mga ekspertong magdadala ng panibagong krisis pangkalusugan — ngunit ang pinakatinding aksyong isinakatuparan ng maraming mga pamahalaan sa buong mundo ay ang pagbabawal ng paninigarilyo sa mga pampublikong lugar.

Hindi na bago ang ideya ng pagbabawal ng paninigarilyo sa Pilipinas. Sa katunayan, ang Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 ay ipinagbabawal ang paninigarilyo sa mga pampublikong lugar. Kabilang dito ang mga paaralan, ospital, opisinang pampamahalaan, at pampublikong terminal. Maliban dito, nilagdaan ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte — isang maninigarilyo rin noon — ang Executive Order No. 26 noong Mayo 16, 2017, kung saan isinusulong ang pagtaguyod ng “smoke-free environments in public and enclosed places” sa pamamagitan ng pagkakaroon ng mga DSA (designated smoking area) para sa mga naninigarilyo. Kadalasang matatagpuan ang mga DSA sa mga bar, nightclub, iilang opisina, at pampublikong sasakyang pangtubig.

Sa kasalukuyan, isinusulong sa kongreso ang isang panukala na naglalayong palawakin ang nasasakupang batas ng Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 sa pamamagitan ng pagpapalawak ng sakop nito sa lahat ng klase ng indoor public smoking. Ang tanong: Tunay nga bang epektibo ang smoking ban? Napipigilan nga ba talaga nito ang patuloy na paninigarilyo ng karamihan? At higit sa lahat, sapat na ba ito upang mabigyang-solusyon ang malawakang suliranin sa paninigarilyo?

Paninigarilyo sa bansa

Sa kabila ng samu’t saring aksyong inilapat ng mga mambabatas ng bansa upang solusyonan ang problema sa tabako, nananatiling mataas ang porsyento ng mga gumagamit nito.

Ayon sa isang istatistika mula noong 2015, mahigit ¼ ng populasyon ng mga Pilipino edad 15 pataas ang gumagamit ng produktong tabako; 40% nito ay kalalakihan, habang 5% ay kababaihan. Sa kabilang banda, ipinapakita sa isang pag-aaral mula noong 2017 na 16% ng mga Pilipino edad 13 hanggang 15 ang gumagamit ng produktong tabako, habang 12% ay gumagamit ng sigarilyo.

Ayon naman isang pagsusuri mula noong 2020, sanhi ng pagkamatay ng halos 110,000 Pilipino kada taon ang mga sakit mula sa paggamit ng tabako. Ang patuloy na paggamit ng tabako ay sinasabing nagdulot sa higit 23% na pagkamatay ng mga kalalakihan, habang 12% naman ay para sa kababaihan. Ang usok naman na nagmumula sa tabako — kabilang ang secondhand smoke — ang sinsabing dahilan ng 21.8% na kabuuang bilang ng pagkamatay ng kalalakihan, at 9.7% sa kababaihan.

Sa kaparehong taon na naaprubahan ang Tobacco Regulation Act, nilagdaan ng bansa ang Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ng World Health Organization (WHO), ang kauna-unahang kasunduan ukol sa pampublikong kalusugan. Lumagda ang 167 iba pang mga bansa upang itaguyod ang “common goals” ukol sa regulasyon ng tabako, pagtataguyod ng “minimum standards for tobacco control policy”, pagsusulong ng mga bagong batas upang puksain ang passive smoking sa mga pampublikong lugar, transportasyon, at opisina, at lutasin ang problema sa patuloy na pagpuslit ng tabako at iba pang “cross-border challenges” na kinabibilangan ng mga ito.

Suliranin ng lahat

Halos isang siglo na ang nakalipas nang nagsimula ang usapin tungkol sa panganib na dulot ng paninigarilyo ng tabako, ngunit nananatili pa rin itong isang pandaigdigang suliranin. Isang halimbawa na nito ang nangyari noong taong 1898, kung saan si Hermann Rottman, isang estudyanteng nag-aaral ng medisina, ang nagmungkahi na maaaring magdulot ng kanser sa baga ang tabako batay sa biglaang pagdami ng bilang ng mga trabahador sa mga pabrika ng tabako na nagkaroon ng tumor sa baga.

Subalit, mali ang ideya ni Rottman na alikabok mula sa tabako ang sanhi ng kanilang pagkakasakit. Paglipas ng labing-apat na taon, naitama rin ito ng isang Amerikanong doktor matapos pag-aralan ang matinding pagtaas ng bilang ng may kanser sa baga. Gayunpaman, ipinahayag pa rin nito ang pangangailangan sa higit na malalim na pananaliksik, at ipinahiwatig na maaaring ang pagsabay sa paninigarilyo ng labis na pag-inom ang maaaring magdulot nito. Sa sumunod na dekada, nagkaroon din ng samu’t saring paliwanag ang ibang mga eksperto sa maaaring magdulot ng sakit sa basa, kabilang ang polusyon sa hangin at alikabok mula sa aspalto. Sa paglipas ng panahon, naging malinaw na paggamit ng tabako ang pinakamatinding nagdudulot ng sakit sa baga.

Ayon sa WHO, hindi kinakailangang manigarilyo ng tabako upang magkasakit o mamatay dahil dito. Batay sa kanilang pag-aaral, mahigit-kumulang 600,000 sa anim na milyong kaso ng pagkamatay na may kaugnayan sa tabako ay dahil sa secondhand o passive smoking.

Bukod sa hindi kaaya-aya ang pagsinghot ng usok mula sa paninigarilyo, delikado rin ito. Ang mga carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compound katulad ng formaldehyde, toluene, at vinyl chloride ay ilan lamang sa 7,000 nakamamatay na kemikal na maaaring magmula sa sigarilyo sa oras na sindihan ito ng tao. May mga katibayang nagtuturo sa secondhand smoke inhalation bilang pangunahing salik sa pagpapataas ng posyentong ang isang tao’y magkaroon ng brain tumor, heart disease, stroke, at iba’t ibang uri ng kanser.

Kasaysayan ng mga smoking ban

Bago pa man naipalaganap ang impormasyon tungkol sa pinsalang maaaring maidulot ng paggamit ng tabako ay mayroon nang mga smoking ban. Ayon sa iba’t ibang pag-aaral, ipinagbabawal na ang paninigarilyo mula noong ika-16 at ika-17 na siglo pa lamang. Pinagbawalan ng mga simbahan sa Mexico ang mga pari na manigarilyo noong 1575, habang idineklara naman ng Japan na iligal ang paggamit ng tabako 45 na taon makalipas nito. Sa kabilang banda, higit na naging marahas ang patakaran ng mga lider ng Tsina noong 1600, kung saan maaari nilang pugutan ng ulo ang mga mahuhuling nagtitinda o gumagamit ng tabako.

Partikular na bocal sa pagbatikos ng paggamit ng tabako si King James I mula sa Inglatera. Bukod sa pagpapataw ng napakataas na buwis dito, sinulat niya ang mga sumusunod sa kaniyang treatise na pinamagatang “A Counterblaste to Tobacco” noong 1604:

“Ang paninigarilyo ng tabako ay hindi kaaya-aya, masangsang sa ilong, masama para sa pag-iisip, at delikado para sa baga. Katulad ito ng kilabot na hatid ng napakaitim na usok na tila mula sa walang-hanggang bangin.” ( “[Smoking tobacco is] a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless.” )

Sa Estados Unidos, ipinasa ang isang batas sa Massachusetts noong 1632 na nagbabawal ng paninigarilyo sa mga pampublikong lugar. Sa paglipas ng panahon, napabilang ang California at New York sa mga mga estadong nagpataw ng mahigpit na mga regulasyon ukol sa paninigarilyo sa pampublikong mga lugar.

Pagdating ng ika-20 na siglo, kung saan higit na kapansin-pansin ang peligro na dulot ng paninigarilyo, pati ang mga Nazi ay umaksyon na rin. Mula sa unang mga bahagi ng 1930s patungo sa gitnang bahagi ng 1940s, mahigpit na ipinagbawal ng mga puwersa ni Adolf Hitler ang pag-aalok ng tabako at paninigarilyo sa pampublikong lugar. Nagbigay din ang mga ito ng malaking pondo para sa pagsasaliksik upang mas mapag-aralan ang kaugnayan ng paggamit ng tabako at kanser sa baga. Gayunpaman, kinakailangang maintindihan na ang nagtulak sa inisyatibong ito ng mga Nazi ay hindi kawanggawa, kundi para mapanatili ang diumano’y “racial and bodily purity” ng tinagurian nilang “Aryan race” na lubos nilang pinahalagahan.

Sa kabila ng pagdami ng mga siyentipikong ebidensya na nagtuturo sa paninigarilyo bilang sanhi ng mga nakamamatay na sakit — kabilang ang isang 1964 na report mula sa U.S. Surgeon General, na kauna-unahang nakapagpakita ng malinaw na koneksyon sa pagitan ng kanser sa baga at paninigarilyo — patuloy pa rin ang mamamayan sa paninigarilyo. Sa katunayan, umabot sa 635.1 bilyong piraso ng sigarilyo ang naibenta noong 1980, kahit na noong mga panahong iyo’y nagsimula nang lumaganap ang anti-smoking movement.

Kanya-kanyang diskarte ang iba’t ibang bansa sa pagbabawal ng paninigarilyo upang tuluyang wakasan ang pinsalang hatid nito. Lumikha ng kasaysayan ang Ireland noong Marso 29, 2004, sapagkat sila ang unang bansang tuluyang ipinagbawal ang paninigarilyo sa mga pampublikong lugar. Matapos ang isang taon, ang Bhutan naman ang naging kauna-unahang bansang tuluyang ipinagbawal ang paninigarilyo.

Tunay nga bang epektibo ang mga smoking ban?

Maraming siyentipikong ebidensya ang nagpapatunay na epektibo ang pagbabawal ng paninigarilyo, lalo sa mga opisina at paaralan.

Isang sarbey mula sa 1999 na kinabibilangan ng “nationally representative sample” ng 97,882 mga manggagawang “indoor” mula sa Estados Unidos ang nagpakita na nabawasan ng anim na porsyento ang paninigarilyo sa mga opisinang tuluyang ipinagbawal ang paninigarilyo. Dagdag pa rito, bumaba din ng 14% ang araw-araw na paninigarilyo ng mga taong nagtatrabaho. Sa kabila nito, mapapansin din ang pagbaba ng epekto nito sa mga opisinang nagtalaga ng lugar kung saan maaaring manigarilyo. Sa kabuuan, natuklasan ng mga mananaliksik na nakatutulong ang mga polisiya sa pagbabawal ng paninigarilyo sa halos lahat ng industriya, at iminungkahing magreresulta sa pagbaba ng 10% ng patuloy na paninigarilyo kung tuluyan itong ipagbabawal sa mga opisina.

Isang pagsasaliksik din mula 2011 na inilathala sa pahayagang Preventive Medicine ang nagpakita na epektibo ang pagbabawal ng paninigarilyo sa mga paaralan upang mabawasan ang paninigarilyo ng mga estudyante. Sa loob ng dalawang taon, ikinumpara ng mga may-akda ng pananaliksik ang mga pag-uugali ng mga estudyante mula sa dalawang paaralan: isang may “campus-wide smoke-free air policy,” at isang wala nito. Natuklasan nilang tunay na naapektuhan ng pagbabawal sa paninigarilyo ang mga pananaw at aksyon ng mga mag-aaral ukol dito; higit nilang naunawaan ang maaaring maging masamang epekto ng paninigarilyo, na naghikayat sa kanilang layuan ang bisyong ito.

Nagbunga din ng mga positibong resulta ang pagbabawal ng paninigarilyo sa loob ng mga kabahayan, batay sa mga natuklasang sa isang pag-aaral noong 2013 mula sa University of California, San Diego School of Medicine na sinuri ang 1,718 naninigarilyo sa California. Ipinaliwanag ng may-akda ng pag-aaral na si Dr. Wael K. Al-Delaimy na:

“Kapag tuluyang ipinagbawal ang paninigarilyo sa loob ng mga kabahayan, natuklasan naming higit na nababawasan ang paggamit ng tabako at nahihikayat ang mga maninigarilyong huminto, kumpara sa kung hahayaan silang manigarilyo sa iilang parte ng kanilang mga bahay.” (“When there’s a total smoking ban in the home, we found that smokers are more likely to reduce tobacco consumption and attempt to quit than when they’re allowed to smoke in some parts of the house.”)

Naobserbahan ni Al-Delaimy at ng kanyang mga kapwa may-akda ang kaparehong kaugalian ng mga naninigarilyo sa mga lugar na ipinagbawal din ang paninigarilyo. Epektibo umano sa pagpapabago ng ugali sa paninigarilyo ng mga kababaihan at mga may edad 65 pataas ang tuluyang pagbabawal ng paninigarilyo sa mga kabahayan, habang mapapansin din ang pagbaba ng paninigarilyo ng mga kalalakihan sa mga lungsod na nagsagawa ng mga city-wide smoking ban.

Sa isang pagsusuri noong 2016 ng 77 pag-aaral tungkol sa mga smoking ban, napagtuklasan ng mga mananaliksik na may mabisang ebidensyang nagpatunay na bumaba ang mga kaso ng nagkaroon ng sakit sa puso at namatay dulot ng mga sakit galing sa paninigarilyo. Dagdag pa rito, higit na bumaba ang mga dinala sa ospital dahil sa sakit sa puso sa mga populasyong kinabibilangan ng mga hindi naninigarilyo. Bumaba din ang bilang ng mga buntis na naninigarilyo, na nagresulta naman sa pagbaba ng secondhand smoke exposure para sa mga bata. Ayon din sa lima sa anim na pag-aaral, may kinalaman ang pagbaba ng mga pasyenteng dinala sa ospital dahil sa stroke sa pagbabawal ng paninigarilyo.

Panghuli, napag-alaman din mula sa samu’t saring pag-aaral ng mga mananaliksik mula sa United Kingdom na bumaba hanggang 93% ang lebel ng polusyon sa hangin noong 2007 sa mga bansang nagsagawa ng pagbabawal ng paninigarilyo sa mga pampublikong lugar, opisina, at mga sasakyang ginagamit sa trabaho. Higit ding bumaba ang bilang ng mga pasyenteng inatake sa puso at dinala sa ospital. Bumaba rin noong 2010 ang bilang ng mga bata sa Scotland na dinala sa ospital dulot ng asthma, na siyang pumigil sa patuloy na pagtaas ng mga kaso nito bago ang smoking ban.

Sapat ba ang pagkakaroon ng mas mahigpit na pagbabawal sa paninigarilyo?

Ayon sa Executive Order (EO) ni Duterte mula 2017, may mahigpit na parusa at mataas na multa sa mga magtatangkang manigarilyo sa mga lugar na hindi ng designated smoking areas (kabilang ang mga paaralan, recreational facilities, ospital, clinic, at kainan): maaaring magbayad ng 10,000 piso at makulong ng hanggang apat na buwan ang mga mahuhuli. Ayon sa mga pag-uulat, hindi nagtagal at nabago ang kaugalian ng mga mahilig manigarilyo sa mga pampublikong lugar. Ibinalita ng ilang mga news outlet na kapansin-pansin ang pagbaba ng bilang ng mga ito anim na buwan matapos ipahayag ang EO ng pangulo.

Gayunpaman, sa isang bansang may 16.5 milyong gumagamit ng tabako (mula sa data noong 2015), hindi sapat ang pagkakaroon lamang ng mas mahigpit na pagbabawal sa paninigarilyo upang bigyang-solusyon ang kasalukuyang problema sa tabako.

Sa isang panayam noong 2017, ibinahagi ni Dr. Glynna Ong-Cabrera, direktor ng Smoking Cessation sa Lung Center of the Philippines, ang ilang paraan upang tuluyang huminto sa bisyo ang mga naninigarilyo. Bukod sa pagbibigay ng malinaw na rason at pagtatakda ng araw na kinakailangang nilang huminto, nakatutulong din umano ang pagkakaroon ng kapamilya’t kaibigan na maaari nilang kausapin sa oras na makaramdam sila na gusto nilang manigarilyo muli.

“Nakikita ko ang paninigarilyo bilang paunang problema lamang. May higit na matinding problema [kung bakit naninigarilyo ang mga tao].” ( “I see smoking as the tip of the iceberg. There’s an underlying problem [as to why people smoke].” )

Bagama’t sinusuportahan ng siyensya ang pagiging epektibo ng mga smoking ban, mahalagang alalahanin din na higit sa lahat, ang pagnanais ng mga maninigarilyo na tigilan ang masamang bisyo ang pinakamahalaga, magsagawa man ng pagbabawal dito o hindi.

Parte ang istoryang ito sa Cycle 5 ng “Nagbabagang Kuwento: Covering a Smoke-Free PH Media Fellowship” mula sa Probe Media Foundation Inc. (PMFI) at Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CFTK). Ang mga pananaw at opinyon mababasa sa istoryang ito ay maaaring hindi mula sa kabuuan ng PMFI at CTFK.

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Nationwide smoking ban needed more than ever – anti-tobacco advocates

Filipinos want national smoking ban in public places, survey says

4 February 2021

More can still be done to ensure the safety of Filipinos when it comes to the harmful effects of smoking and the results of a recent survey may lead policy-makers to the right direction.

According to a survey conducted by Pulse Asia in December 2020, there is overwhelming support for a national smoking ban in all public spaces (93 percent) and in all private spaces frequented by the public (91 percent).

“The survey clearly shows that there is a strong clamor for a smoke-free Philippines. People are more aware now of the health and environmental impacts of smoking, and are more health conscious,” said Atty. Jacky Sarita, Executive Director of Health Justice Philippines.

“We have nothing to lose by becoming smoke free. On the contrary, we have so much to gain—healthier citizenry and cleaner environment. We will even be able to contribute to poverty alleviation,” said Mardy Halcon, country lead of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Halcon added that people in the lower socio-economic demographic level will not be as “financially burdened because if they did not smoke, they wouldn’t have to choose between cigarette sticks and food.”

Halcon cited the case of Artemio Biernes who has been smoking since he was in high school. Like many others, his initiation into smoking was a result of peer pressure.

Artemio, now on his 50s recalled that his friends would not take no for an answer when they offered him a cigarette. He tried it and liked it. Since then, he has not stopped smoking. As he made more money, he periodically increased his allocation for cigarettes. At some point, he was spending 25 percent of his income on cigarettes alone.

Artemio has been smoking for decades when his wife noticed that he seemed unwell. A visit to the doctor confirmed their fears—he was diagnosed with emphysema, a lung disease characterized by difficulty in breathing and caused by many years of smoking.

“Seeing my X-ray results, the doctor asked if I smoked. I said yes. He told me to stop if I did not want my illness to worsen,” Artemio said.

Artemio heeded his doctor’s advice, but by then, the effects of his long years of smoking had taken its toll on his body.

“My body has considerably weakened. I can no longer do the things I used to do,” he said.

Because of Artemio’s condition, his wife Evelyn became the family’s breadwinner. To be able to put food on the table and buy Artemio’s medicines, Evelyn did laundry for their neighbors.

Artemio admitted that he was full of remorse saying, “I hope she can forgive me.”

Typical story

Artemio’s story mirrors those of many other smokers—starting young because of peer pressure, getting hooked, getting sick, and becoming cash-strapped because of the costs of the cigarettes, hospital bills and maintenance medicines when they get sick.

Numerous studies have consistently shown the link of smoking to various major diseases, among them lung cancer and heart disease.

Smoking has also been found to increase one’s risk of getting infected with Covid-19. Worse, when a smoker does get infected, they are more likely to have a severe case of infection—their lungs, the very target of Covid- 19, having considerably weakened by cigarette smoking.

To prevent Filipinos, especially the youth, from falling into the trap of smoking, anti-smoking regulations have been crafted and passed in the past years. In 2017, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) 26 which banned smoking in public areas except in designated smoking areas that follow guidelines set by the EO.

The EO also enjoined all cities and municipalities nationwide to form a local smoke-free task force with the goal of imposing its provisions.

In 2020, the President signed RA 11467 into law which raised the sin taxes for alcohol and cigarettes and issued EO 106 which regulates the sale, manufacture, marketing, distribution and importation of unregistered electronic nicotine devices and other novel tobacco products.

The directive also bans establishments from selling e-cigarettes and other tobacco products to a person aged 21 years old and below.

New Bill on the Block

In January 2021, Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa filed Senate Bill 1976 which aims to institutionalize the advocacy of the President to make the Philippines smoke free.

While he was still a city mayor, the President made Davao City known worldwide for strictly enforcing smoke-free policies that benefited the health of its constituents.

The new bill prohibits smoking in all public transportation vehicles and its terminals, workplaces, and other public places that may be identified by persons in authority.

It also prohibits indoor designated smoking areas which, according to the guidelines outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), to which the Philippines is a signatory, are not sufficiently equipped to protect people from the harm of second-hand smoke.

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Duterte Orders Strict Smoking Ban in Philippines, and Asks Citizens to Help

By Felipe Villamor

• May 18, 2017

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte, who has overseen a deadly campaign to eradicate drug use in the Philippines, has now ordered a strict public ban on smoking and called on citizens to help the local authorities apprehend smokers.

The executive order, signed this week and made public on Thursday, forbids the use of tobacco, including electronic cigarettes, in all public spaces, even sidewalks. It also prohibits anyone under 18 from “using, selling or buying cigarettes or tobacco products.”

More than a quarter of Filipinos smoke, according to a 2015 World Health Organization report , including 11 percent of minors.

The nationwide measure, known as Executive Order 26, is similar to the near universal smoking ban Mr. Duterte put in place in Davao City in 2002, when he was the city’s mayor. A former smoker, Mr. Duterte quit cigarettes and drinking decades ago , when he was found to have two rare conditions, Barrett’s esophagus and Buerger’s disease.

According to the new order, tobacco cannot be sold within 100 meters, or about 330 feet, of schools, playgrounds or anywhere children might gather. Municipalities must also designate smoking areas that are far from these places, and away from elevators, stairwells, gas stations, health centers and wherever food is prepared. “No smoking” signs are to be posted in all public places.

The order also called on civilians to join a “Smoke Free Task Force to help carry out the provisions of this order” and apprehend and charge violators.

Calling for citizens to enforce the ban raises the specter of vigilantes’ carrying out their own interpretation of Mr. Duterte’s strict prohibitions, as was reported during his tenure as mayor of Davao dating to the 1980s.

Since taking office last year, Mr. Duterte has overseen a brutal antidrug campaign that has killed thousands of people suspected of being drug users and dealers, often without trial.

‘They Are Slaughtering Us Like Animals’

Inside President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal antidrug campaign in the Philippines, our photojournalist documented 57 homicide victims over 35 days.

Gangs of vigilantes have taken seriously the president’s call to slaughter addicts . And international observers have accused Mr. Duterte of encouraging these vigilantes and overlooking extrajudicial killings by police officers.

Violators of the smoking ban in the Philippines could face up to four months in jail and a fine of 5,000 pesos, around $100, the presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said on Thursday.

Mr. Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno S. Aquino III, signed a law in 2014 requiring bold, graphic health warnings on all cigarette packages, but studies show it has done little to stub the vice in this country of 104 million.

The Philippines is the second-largest tobacco consumer in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia, according to the Philippines Health Department.

Emer Rojas, a cancer survivor and the president of the antismoking group New Vois Association of the Philippines, said he hoped the new measure would significantly reduce smoking in a country where it is common to see adults and children smoking on the street.

He said the national smoking ban could also save thousands of Filipinos — smokers and those around them, who endure secondhand smoke — from cancer and other illnesses.

“More will be saved from debilitating diseases and premature deaths, and this executive order supports other tobacco control initiatives, such as the graphic health warning law,” Mr. Rojas said.

Strict enforcement of a prohibition on tobacco sales to minors has been a challenge for the government. The World Health Organization’s Global Tobacco Epidemic report in 2015 estimated that 11.8 percent of Filipinos ages 13 to 15 used tobacco. Small neighborhood stores in the Philippines commonly sell single cigarettes even to minors, who often say they are running errands for their elders.

In its report, the W.H.O. said higher taxes on tobacco products should accompany antismoking laws. It said that only a few governments appropriately taxed tobacco products, a “proven, low-cost measure to curb demand.”

The W.H.O. estimates that the average pack of 20 cigarettes costs almost 27 pesos (54 cents) in the Philippines, with more than 74 percent of that attributed to taxes.

Philippines set to roll out tough no-smoking law

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Additional reporting by Clara Ferreira Marques in Singapore; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

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Belgium has regained its status of being free of bird flu, which will allow producers to resume poultry exports and other countries to lift trade bans, Belgian food safety authorities said on Friday.

EU antitrust regulators have scrapped an investigation into Paris-based power exchange EPEX SPOT because there was not enough evidence to continue the probe, the European Commission said on Friday.

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Today’s front page, Friday, March 22, 2024

Filipinos want national smoking ban in public places, survey says

• Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
• February 4, 2021
• 4 minute read

More can still be done to ensure the safety of Filipinos when it comes to the harmful effects of smoking and the results of a recent survey may lead policy-makers to the right direction.

According to a survey conducted by Pulse Asia in December 2020, there is overwhelming support for a national smoking ban in all public spaces (93 percent) and in all private spaces frequented by the public (91 percent).

“The survey clearly shows that there is a strong clamor for a smoke-free Philippines. People are more aware now of the health and environmental impacts of smoking, and are more health conscious,” said Atty. Jacky Sarita, Executive Director of Health Justice Philippines.

“We have nothing to lose by becoming smoke free. On the contrary, we have so much to gain—healthier citizenry and cleaner environment. We will even be able to contribute to poverty alleviation,” said Mardy Halcon, country lead of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Halcon added that people in the lower socio-economic demographic level will not be as “financially burdened because if they did not smoke, they wouldn’t have to choose between cigarette sticks and food.”

Halcon cited the case of Artemio Biernes who has been smoking since he was in high school. Like many others, his initiation into smoking was a result of peer pressure.

Artemio, now on his 50s recalled that his friends would not take no for an answer when they offered him a cigarette. He tried it and liked it. Since then, he has not stopped smoking. As he made more money, he periodically increased his allocation for cigarettes. At some point, he was spending 25 percent of his income on cigarettes alone.

Artemio has been smoking for decades when his wife noticed that he seemed unwell. A visit to the doctor confirmed their fears—he was diagnosed with emphysema, a lung disease characterized by difficulty in breathing and caused by many years of smoking.

“Seeing my X-ray results, the doctor asked if I smoked. I said yes. He told me to stop if I did not want my illness to worsen,” Artemio said.

Artemio heeded his doctor’s advice, but by then, the effects of his long years of smoking had taken its toll on his body.

“My body has considerably weakened. I can no longer do the things I used to do,” he said.

Because of Artemio’s condition, his wife Evelyn became the family’s breadwinner. To be able to put food on the table and buy Artemio’s medicines, Evelyn did laundry for their neighbors.

Artemio admitted that he was full of remorse saying, “I hope she can forgive me.”

Typical story

Artemio’s story mirrors those of many other smokers—starting young because of peer pressure, getting hooked, getting sick, and becoming cash-strapped because of the costs of the cigarettes, hospital bills and maintenance medicines when they get sick.

Numerous studies have consistently shown the link of smoking to various major diseases, among them lung cancer and heart disease.

Smoking has also been found to increase one’s risk of getting infected with Covid-19. Worse, when a smoker does get infected, they are more likely to have a severe case of infection—their lungs, the very target of Covid- 19, having considerably weakened by cigarette smoking.

To prevent Filipinos, especially the youth, from falling into the trap of smoking, anti-smoking regulations have been crafted and passed in the past years. In 2017, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) 26 which banned smoking in public areas except in designated smoking areas that follow guidelines set by the EO.

The EO also enjoined all cities and municipalities nationwide to form a local smoke-free task force with the goal of imposing its provisions.

In 2020, the President signed RA 11467 into law which raised the sin taxes for alcohol and cigarettes and issued EO 106 which regulates the sale, manufacture, marketing, distribution and importation of unregistered electronic nicotine devices and other novel tobacco products.

The directive also bans establishments from selling e-cigarettes and other tobacco products to a person aged 21 years old and below.

New Bill on the Block

In January 2021, Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa filed Senate Bill 1976 which aims to institutionalize the advocacy of the President to make the Philippines smoke free.

While he was still a city mayor, the President made Davao City known worldwide for strictly enforcing smoke-free policies that benefited the health of its constituents.

The new bill prohibits smoking in all public transportation vehicles and its terminals, workplaces, and other public places that may be identified by persons in authority.

It also prohibits indoor designated smoking areas which, according to the guidelines outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), to which the Philippines is a signatory, are not sufficiently equipped to protect people from the harm of second-hand smoke.

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Coordinates of elektrostal in degrees and decimal minutes, utm coordinates of elektrostal, geographic coordinate systems.

WGS 84 coordinate reference system is the latest revision of the World Geodetic System, which is used in mapping and navigation, including GPS satellite navigation system (the Global Positioning System).

Geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) define a position on the Earth’s surface. Coordinates are angular units. The canonical form of latitude and longitude representation uses degrees (°), minutes (′), and seconds (″). GPS systems widely use coordinates in degrees and decimal minutes, or in decimal degrees.

Latitude varies from −90° to 90°. The latitude of the Equator is 0°; the latitude of the South Pole is −90°; the latitude of the North Pole is 90°. Positive latitude values correspond to the geographic locations north of the Equator (abbrev. N). Negative latitude values correspond to the geographic locations south of the Equator (abbrev. S).

Longitude is counted from the prime meridian ( IERS Reference Meridian for WGS 84) and varies from −180° to 180°. Positive longitude values correspond to the geographic locations east of the prime meridian (abbrev. E). Negative longitude values correspond to the geographic locations west of the prime meridian (abbrev. W).

UTM or Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system divides the Earth’s surface into 60 longitudinal zones. The coordinates of a location within each zone are defined as a planar coordinate pair related to the intersection of the equator and the zone’s central meridian, and measured in meters.

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Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia